This week the SIU Sustainable Farm to Fork will be featuring the first big harvest of Asian Greens. They have grown 14-16 different varieties of Asian greens as a trial for an Illinois Specialty Crop grant program. Asian greens have many good qualities for farmers and consumers alike. They are fast growing, heat and cold tolerant, highly nutritious, fast and versatile to cook and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, textures and flavors. Many can be harvested as baby leaf and used in salad mixes or allowed to grow to maturity, cut and allowed to grow again. This week SIU Sustainable Farm will be giving free samples of Asian Greens to Community Farmers Market FarmFans and newsletter recipients. Please inform the folks at the SIU Sustainable Farm to Fork table that you are a newsletter recipient or FarmFan to receive your free sample! SIU Sustainable Farm hopes that this grant will help these Asian greens become more common at farmers markets and for customers to become more comfortable with incorporating them into their everyday cooking. They plan to have several of these greens available throughout the growing season. For more information about Asian Greens or this study, please contact April Vigardt avigardt@siu.edu. Nutrition Fun Facts: Bok Choy has some of the highest nutritionaly rankings among other members of the cabbage family. It is a source of over 21 nutrients including omega-3s, zinc and an excellent source of vitamins C, A and K. (1) Storage Tips: Store in a plastic bag with as much of the air removed as possible. Will keep for up to one week. Preparation Tips: You can use both the crunch stalks and leaves of bok choy. For even cooking, chop the leaf portion into 1/8” slices and the stems into ½” lengths. For maximum health benefits, let bok choy sit for 5 minutes before cooking. (1)